COCKETTES: THE SECOND CUMMING
a musical revue celebrating the music of original Cockette,
Scrumbly Koldewyn,
will play Joe’s Pub (425 Lafayette St, NYC) at The Public Theater
Saturday, Sept 9 @ 9:30 pm.

Two days later — on September 11 — Cockettes on the Silver Screen will feature films about San Francisco’s legendary, gender-bending theatrical troupe at Anthology Film Archives, 32 2nd Ave, New York City at 730 pm.

The Cockettes Festival begins when they bring their bawdy, colorful, cabaret show to Joe’s Pub celebrating the music of original Cockette Scrumbly Koldewyn. From there, COCKETTES ON THE SILVER SCREEN at the Anthology Film Archives on Monday, Sept 11 at 7:30 pm continues the East Coast festivities. Tickets are available at anthologyfilmarchives.org.

COCKETTES ON THE SILVER SCREEN celebrates the old and new with a screening of Highlights of Cockettes Are Golden which commemorates the 50th anniversary celebration of this legendary underground performance troupe in 2020 and features an appearance by cult film icon, John Waters. Joining this screening is a special tribute video about Cockettes’ founder Hibiscus PLUS the sole film made by the Cockettes themselves, the queer cinema landmark TRICIA’S WEDDING from 1971. The program will feature a talkback with current Cockette company members.

History Lesson: After President Nixon eventually viewed Tricia’s Wedding – in the White House bomb shelter – he considered taking action against the troupe. In his memoir “Blind Ambition,” John Dean wrote, “The only time I ever returned there was for a secret screening of TRICIA’S WEDDING, a pornographic movie portraying Tricia Nixon’s wedding to Edward Cox, in drag. Haldeman wanted the movie killed, so a very small group of White House officials watched the cavorting transvestites in order to weigh the case for suppression. Official action proved unnecessary; the film died a natural death.”

Or so they thought.

Other events are in development for this special weekend celebration of one of history’s most prophetic and prolific underground-breaking troupes.

The current Cockette company includes Matt Bratko, Noah Haydon, Steven Satyricon, Ellie Stokes, Bonni Suval, Birdie Bob Watt and Scrumbly Koldewyn himself. The event is produced by Dan Karkoska.